CYCLONE
"SIDR" OF 15 NOVEMBER 2007 IN BANGLADESHGeorge Pararas-Carayannis

Introduction

Cyclone
"SIDR" was one of the 10 strongest cyclones to hit
Bangladesh
between 1876 and 2007. "SIDR" developed
in the Bay of Bengal in early November2007. It further
intensified into a
category 4 storm system (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale)
with peak sustained winds of up to 215 km/h (135 mp/h) (peaking
at 260 km/hour). The cyclone made landfall in Bangladesh
in the evening of November 15, 2007.
SIDR and its surge resulted in thousands of deaths and
massive destruction of coastal communities.

Formation
and Path of Cyclone "SIDR"

9
November 2007-An air mass
disturbance with weak low-level circulation begun developing
in the central
Bay of Bengal, southeast
of the Andaman islands, in close proximity to the Nicobar
Islands.

11
November 2007- The anomalous weather system was
still somewhat south of the Andaman Islands.
A better defined cyclonic
circulation developed when the vertical shear begun decreasing.
Based on that development, a "Tropical Cyclone Formation
Alert" was issued for the region. Later that day, when
winds reached
65 km/h (40 mph), the India Meteorological Department (IMD)
designated the system
as a Tropical Depression. Still later on November 11, the
system intensified as it moved slowly
in a north-westward direction.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded it
to the designation of Tropical Cyclone.

12
November 2007 - As
the system further intensified, the India
Meteorological Department (IMD) further upgraded the weather
system to a " severe cyclonic storm" and named
it "SIDR".

SIDR's
Landfall

15
November 2007- By
the morning of 15 November 2007, Cyclone "SIDR" had
moved considerably northward towards India's eastern border
with
Bangladesh.
It had strengthened to reach Category-4 tropical cyclone
status,
with peak
sustained
winds of 215 km/h (135 mp/h). According to the JTWC best
track, "SIDR" subsequently
reached peak wind velocities of up to 260 km/h. Later that
day, it appeared that the cyclone's brunt
of force would be felt by the less populated areas
known as "Sundarbans", the
mangrove forest that stretches along the western third of
Bangladesh's coast - a world heritage site that is home to
the rare Royal Bengal Tigers. However,
this did not happen. Around 1700 UTC that day, with still
sustained winds of
215 km/h (135 mph), SIDR made direct landfall in the district
of Bagerha, a highly-populated area of Bangladesh. A catastrophic
surge
flooded the area and caused most of the deaths and the damage.

16
November 2007- By November 16, "SIDR" weakened
considerably as it moved
over land.

Two
NASA satellite photos show Cyclone "SIDR" as it approaches the
coast of Bangladesh.

The
Cyclone Surge

Bangladesh is a country that is almost entirely
situated on an an enormous delta that has been formed by
the confluence
of Ganges, Brahmaputra, and
Meghna
rivers and their tributaries. This extensive river
system is constantly fed by waters of melting snow
from the Himalayan mountains. Thus, the entire country is
mostrly flat and extremely vulnerable to flooding. Cyclone "SIDR" generated
maximum flooding. The
cities of Patuakhali, Barguna and Jhalokati District were
hit hard by the storm surge that was over 5 meters
(16 ft) In
height. Fortunately, the cyclone made landfall when
the tide was
low, so the surge was not as high as it could
have been.

Photo
of damage by Cyclone SIDR in Bangladesh (photo by Jonathan Munshi)

Also,
cyclone
surge flooding occurred earlier along the coastal areas of
north Chennai in the southern state of Tamil
Nadu in India. The storm's surge flooded areas up
to a height of 3 metres
(9.8 ft).

Death
Toll and Damages

Most
of the cyclones that have made landfall in Bangladesh in the
past have caused thousands
of deaths. "SIDR" was no exception. According
to official accounts 3,447 people lost their lives. However
this
is believed to be inaccurate. The actual death toll may never be known with
certainty. It is estimated that perhaps up to 10,000 people actually lost
their lives, with thousands more injured, or missing. Thousands
more were displaced
and became homeless.

The
damage in Bangladesh was extensive. About
a quarter of the World Heritage Site "Sunderbans" was
damaged. The
entire
cities of Patuakhali, Barguna and the Jhalokati District were
hit hard by the cyclone's surge of over 5 meters (16 ft).
There
was extensive flood damage at Barisal and at
Baniashanta, across from the port city, Mongla, as the cyclone's
surge rolled in. In the town of Mothbaria, one of the towns
in the very center of the devastation,
there was hardly anything left standing, except of a few brick
and concrete buildings. Houses
and and schools were demolished. The storm's surge washed away
all roads
in the
region. About
500 fishing boats were unnaccountable and over 3,000 fishermen
were reported missing.

Much
of the capital city of Dhaka was also severely affected due
to
the winds and the flooding which affected the city's infrastucture.
Electricity and water service were cut.

The
agricultural industry of Bangladesh was devastated
by the flooding which covered about1 million hectares of farmable
land. In
brief, "SIDR" affected about 2 million families
comprising about 9 million people. More than 1.5 million homes
were destroyed.

Tracks
of Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal (India Met Office)

Warning Issued

There
was advance knowledge that cyclone SIDR would make landfall
on Bangladesh. The warning was disseminated by emergency response
authorities in Bangladesh, prompting massive
evacuations
of the low-lying
coastal areas. A total of 2 million people were evacuated to
emergency shelters and that probably contributed to the lower
death toll. However, in spite of the warning, thousands of
people were stranded on tiny
little
islands
dotting the coastline, with no place to go because
of the flatness of the land and its low elevation above sea
level.
There was simply no higher ground or shelters on stilts to evacuate
to. Overall, the early warning system, preparedness and
massive evacuations, resulted in
a much lower death toll than that caused by the 1991 cyclone.
However, property damage was as severe or even worse that that
caused in 1991.

Past Cyclones and Cyclone Surges
in Bangladesh

Bangladesh
is extremely vulnerable to seasonal cyclones and floods. This
is because a very large part of Bangladesh is located on river
deltas with low elevation above the sea. These
areas
routinely
suffer large-scale losses
of life and property. Cyclones and
depressions threaten the country every year during pre-monsoon
and post monsoon seasons. In the past, cyclones and their
surges originating in the Bay of Bengal, killed hundreds of thousands
of people.

In
1960 a cyclone with winds up to 210 kmh made land fall in
Bangladesh and killed about
10,000 people. Another
cyclone in 1961, with winds of up to 161
kph killed 12,500
people. The 1963 cyclone that made landfall in the coastal
Chittagong region, killed
more than 11,500 people and destroyed about 1
million
homes.

The
deadliest of all was the cyclone of
Nov 12, 1970. It made landfall on Bangladesh
with winds of up to 222 kmph and a surge that was 10 meters high.
It created havoc in the
coastal
districts of Barisal, Patuakhali, Noakhali, and Bhola. It
destroyed Chittagong and many coastal villages, killing about
half a million people. Still
another cyclone in 1985 ripped
through Urir Char and
devastated Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and the coastal islands with
154 kmph winds and a 15 foot high surge that
killed about
11,000 people. More
recently, a cyclone in April 29, 1991 with 225 kmph
winds swept over the coastal areas of Chittagong with a 25
foot surge and killed an estimated 143,000 people. Another cyclone
on Nov 29, 1997 with winds of up to 224
kmph and a 6.1 meter surge, made landfall
in the Chittagong region and killed about
150,000 people.